Oh this is going to be a blast. Absolutely perfect for Cerise to let go.
I turned around and made my way back to where she was still pressed against the wall. Her lips were swollen and I wanted to bite down on the bottom one andtug,just to see what type of sound she would make. Would she whimper again? Would she moan?
Later. Later, I would make sure she screamed my name. Because now I had a new adventure for her.
“What is it? What did you see?”
“Ax-throwing. And we are going to join.”
She stiffened. “What? No. I am much too old to be throwing weapons around.”
I tilted my head. “Don’t be silly. You are never too old to enjoythrowing a sharp object at a target. I’m not done with you yet. Let’s go.”
I interlaced our fingers again and led her down the hall.
Moments later we emerged from a side door into the main room. Customers were spread among dozens of wooden booths, targets in the center to practice throwing different sized axes. Iron sconces lined the walls as candle-covered chandeliers hung above each nook.
I led us to the desk near the front of the establishment and stopped before the man behind the counter. “Oh. I'm sorry, I didn’t see you two come in the front door!”
My mouth quirked. “We were quite sneaky. Sorry about that.” I pulled out a wad of money and set it on the surface in front of him. “Two of us for an hour rental.”
“Good, good. Have you ever thrown an axe before?”
“No,” we said in unison.
“That’s perfectly all right. Fill out these waivers, please.”
We quickly filled out the forms. Well, I did. I barely read it. But Cerise was poring over each detail like it was a binding contract. “It basically just says we won’t hold them responsible if we maim ourselves,” I murmured, resting my chin on her shoulder.
“I need to read all of it. Just in case. Did you even read yours?”
“Not one bit.”
She sighed. “I’ll try to hurry.”
“It’s okay.” I trailed my fingers down her shoulder. “Take your time.”
Five minutes later, after Cerise seemed comfortable with what she was signing, she finished and handed the form back to the man. “You two can have that empty booth.” He pointed to the far end of the room. “I’ll send someone to meet you there in a few.”
We made our way to the three-sided cubicle.
Cerise looked at me. “Does it bother you that I do that?”
“That you do what?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. That I mustthoroughly read everything? That I have to know exactly what it says? That I often crave structure and routine?”
I brushed her hair behind her shoulder and looked into her violet eyes. They reminded me of the end of a sunset, when the last blush of pink transitioned to purple as the night encroached.
“Of course it doesn’t bother me. Every quirk I discover, every nuance that is revealed, renders me even more bewitched with you.”
She swallowed and I couldn’t help but follow the movement of her throat with my eyes. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
“What things? Nice things?”
She shrugged, vulnerability on her face.
“Cerise, stop getting in your head. I say things because I mean them.”
